WAIT!

Celebrating Advent means being able to wait.  Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten.  It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly finished planting the shoot.  But all too often the greedy eyes are only deceived; the fruit that seemed so precious is still green on the inside, and disrespectful hands ungratefully toss aside what has so disappointed them.  ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

One of my fondest childhood memories is of the brisk autumn days when my cousin and I would play football in the yard.  With ditches and trees as our only boundaries we would play hard with visions of being the next Johnny Unitas or Raymond Berry (Yes, I know that dates me!).  I dreamed of one day wearing one of those fully recognizable white and some shade of gray uniform—this was by the way before color TV.

After many “Hail Mary” TD passes and tackles into the muddy ditch, we would take our “half-time break” under the pecan tree (pronounced Pee-can where I grew up!)  There we would look for a fresh nut to crack open with our bare hands and savor the fruit.  Too many times we tried to rush our fulfillment as the nuts were not quite ready; they were still in the green hull.  Not only were they almost impossible to crack open, they weren’t any good when we did.  It wasn’t until we were much older around ten that we realized we needed to wait until they were ready—the husk turns black, pops open and the nut falls out with minor persuasion (like a football spiral flung up into the branches!)  Then, and only then, were we rewarded with the snack of champions we hoped for.

Like Bonhoeffer stated, this “Advent” thing is about waiting—waiting patiently until just the right time.  Our calendars, and way too many merchants, remind us that the “right time” is December 25^th.  In all truth, the “right time” was when God chose to Be human kind’s redemption, to enter not triumphantly as expected, to grow and live among us, to pay the ultimate death for sin, and overcame death so that all who believe may receive God’s Grace and redemption!

Oh, and something else happened to me about the same time as the football and pecans—at just the right time for me: I realized my need for this One whom we are trying to celebrate this month.  “Trying?”  Yes, unfortunately we almost overlook the whole Reason for the Season.  It is at this time of year in which we as Believers have the most perfect opportunities to help another whose time is now to believe, if they only had another to witness, testify, invite or encourage. 

May we all see the opportunities before us to help ripened fruit fall safely into the loving arms of the One who came in Bethlehem.

This post originally ran on the ABPnews Blog (www.abpnews.com/blog) & DEALingwithmyworld.blogspot.com

The Trails of Life

Last year I blogged about a “new adventure” I had undertaken—hiking.  Unfortunately I have not kept up with it like I had wished.   However, recently on vacation my wife and I decided it would be a good “exercise” for us.  So, we chose the “short” trail.  Short? Yes, yet straight up! During this short, yet strenuous hike I had several observations, several parallels to life.

Hiking is better with a companion.  If the other person is in the lead, you can watch where they step.  Why make the same misstep?  If you do slip and fall, they can pick you up when you fall.  And probably the best reason: they encourage you to continue.  (“Just a little bit farther.”  “You can do it!”)  We need companions in life, too.  As a Christian fellow disciples help “disciple” others encouraging to walk in Christ’s Light.  There is something strengthening to meet with, gather with, other like-minded believers.  We call this “church.”

 On a trail steps can be treacherous.   What looks like a dry rock can be slippery.  If your companion makes a misstep, you choose to either follow or step somewhere else.  You choose to step in their footprints or take another.  Regardless of steps, no path is straight.  When I considered the actual places I stepped, the path of my footprints looked more like the slithering of a snake.  I ended up at the end of the trail, but due to choosing where each step was to be placed I “wriggled” all along the path.  When a friend stumbles in life, I am there not to judge and condemn, but to lend a hand to help them regain their foothold and to assure they won’t stumble again.  I watch carefully my own spiritual journey and hopefully learn from their mistake.

Path choices can be wrong; you can learn from them.  You need to have an idea where you are going and choose the path best suited for YOU to get there.  After getting deep into the woods and up the mountain it is not real comforting to hear, “I’m not sure where this will lead…” or “It looked “good/right”.  I thought it would lead me to where I wanted to go.”  What does one do when they find they have gone down the wrong path?  Well, you try to correct the error.

A Trail map is mandatory.   Someone who knows this area better than me has mapped out a pretty good guide to use. A well-worn trail map can be your friend.  At the end of the journey you look at it and realize how often you referred to it.  What is the “trail map” I use for my life?  As a Christian, the Bible is my trail map.  Oh, how I wish I referred to it more often!

Using a trail map and noting the well-placed signs along the way are helpful.  They help to confirm that you are still on the chosen path and you haven’t ventured off your planned course.  They are also placed at appropriate intersections to help one determine the direction to go.  There were several times we couldn’t find the friendly red mark on a tree we were to follow so we slowed down until we did.  Life is full of changes and constantly monitoring one’s direction is important to attain one’s goals.

Even though I’ve done this before, I had to start over.  If in my previous treks I had begun to build stamina and/or muscle, they were long gone since I had not kept up with it.  In my Christian life, I fail many times keeping up the “walk” that should go along with my “talk.”  When I do, I realize that I have to go back to the basics and not try to run all at once.  The good news is that I am always welcomed back!

The climb is worth the view.   The sore muscles, the profuse sweating, the racing heart and gasping for oxygen all begin to bring doubt to one’s mind.  Turn around.  You’re a fool.  Go back and have a Coke and a cookie.  With the encouragement of a companion, the signs of direction, the beautiful reminders of God’s beautiful creation along the way you trudge on, hoping that it will be worth it.  You have to rest along the way, but you do not give up.  And when you do reach the top it is confirmed!

You gasp, you soak it all in.  You see, experience and breathe in the “Majesty and Glory of His Name.”

After a time you realize you have to go back.  The trip back down is yet another journey.  And you thought the steps UP were treacherous!

There's a Hole!

What you may not know about me is that my ministry “day job” is to give leadership to my church fellowship’s national disaster response.  In this role I interact with our churches, other churches and faith-groups, NGO’s and voluntary organizations active in disasters.  I have just returned from Oklahoma where not only did I see the devastation, we had to seek shelter from another one while I was there.

Recently my wife and I moved into a new home.  We all are aware that when you do, you spend weeks (no months!) doing “things.”  Things like installing blinds, hanging pictures, arranging (and re-arranging) furniture, etc.  I began a task that I had put off as long as I could—installing towel racks and toilet paper holders.  You know the drill---measure twice cut (or in this case “drill”) once.  I pride myself in being pretty savvy at these things, so I venture in with all of my wisdom and expertise.  Well, the very first towel ring over the sink in the guest bathroom created for me my dilemma.  I failed to look at the diagram correctly and see that the holes should be vertical, nor horizontal.

That’s right!  An unnecessary 3/16” hole on the bathroom wall!  I quickly determined that I could use one, mark another in the correct location and continue.  But there was this hole staring at me.  I began to fume, religiously of course, at myself and get disgusted at my error and that I had to do the job anyway.  I was flustered that I was having to concern myself with putting these things up.

Then, I heard a voice inside of me (really, I did!) say, “At least you have a wall to mount one on.”  

Oh boy!  That does it; humbled to my core.  There I was distraught over a silly 3/16” hole in the wall and I knew of people who only wished there home was still standing.  How could I be so caught up in my own little world?

We all do this from time to time.  We get so caught up in our own little problems and fail to see the larger, more brilliant picture God has put out before us.  The old hymn “Count Your Many Blessings” comes to mind and I do need to stop, even right now, and do that.

Nothing…Nada…Zip

I and many others traveling on this third rock from the sun this past week have had very vivid and personal reminders of what someone did for us long ago. Yes, Jesus of Nazareth—the Christ, suffered and died on a cross for my sins.  As Tony Campolo titled one of his books, “It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Coming!” we who are on this side of The Resurrection know that the grave could not hold Him.

I spent this week reading, studying and teaching a class at my church on Easter Sunday about the passion and the suffering.  As Henri Nouwen put it, “How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection when I have avoided participating in your death?”  I even watched the finale of “The Bible” on the History Channel.  What I saw mirrored what I had felt through the week:  how could any person endure such agony?

The temptation here is to get all “preachy” and philosophical.  But I won’t.  I would like to get personal.  We know because we have heard it said all our lives that “Jesus did it all for me,” etc.  But seriously, he did!  I began to wonder if I could endure the beatings, the whipping, the flogging, the trudging up to Calvary carrying my death-causing lumber.  No, I couldn’t.

Yet, what if only one of my sins put me there?  Like us all, there are many to choose from.  But think for a moment of only one (it doesn’t have to be one of the “big ones”) and realize crucifixion is what we deserve.  Yet, Christ chose to take my place!

We sang “He Chose to Die” during our Maundy Thursday service.  Christ, being fully God, could have “called ten thousand angels” and zapped ‘em all.  That would have proved a point.  But love prevailed and he chose the suffering servant role.

Fast forward back to today in the twenty-first century and after this high holy week we Christians will return to our disciple-type of arguing over who is the best in His Kingdom and who will get the choice seats in Heaven.  I am pretty sure that I don’t get it all right, yet neither do you.  Still we voice our opinions as “gospel truth” and demean another follower of Christ as a lesser Christian because he or she sees an issue (usually a social one) differently.  Unfortunately, I have lived that kind of discipleship—one in which I was sure my interpretation was Biblical and anyone who saw it differently was wrong and really couldn’t be a real Christian.  When I sense that now from others, I wonder what happened to the “love one another” command Jesus gave to us.  I am pretty sure he meant it.

I describe myself now as a Romans 8 Christian. To summarize, this passage says that nothing can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus my Lord.  That’s it!  Nothing!  Nada!  Zip!  You can’t name one thing that can negate my relationship with Jesus Christ—and that is a very good thing.